Compact bar code scanner assembly

ABSTRACT

A bar code scanner module is disclosed that may include a chassis housing an optical transmission system therein, the optical transmission system including a laser diode and a motor; a first circuit board coupled to the motor; and a second circuit board disposed within the chassis and in communication with the first circuit board. The module may further include a third circuit board disposed in proximity to the chassis and in communication with at least one of the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

The present patent application is the U.S. national stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/US06/060712, which was published inEnglish on May 29, 2008 under Publication No. WO 2008/063189. Thepresent application claims the benefit of the International Application,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bar code scanner systems are known. Printed circuit boards are among thecomponents that are assembled to form bar code scanner systems andprovide a variety of functions including motor control and decodingoperations. Existing approaches generally involve assembling printedcircuit boards to the exterior surfaces of a chassis that houses opticaltransmission and receiving equipment. Assembling the printed circuitboards to a chassis in this manner tends to substantially increase thesize of the overall bar code scanner system or module. Moreover,providing a module having multiple external surfaces covered by printedcircuit boards may make the module vulnerable to exposure to electricalnoise and/or physical damage and may make the resulting module moredifficult to incorporate within a larger structure. Accordingly, thereis a need in the art to provide a bar code scanner module within acompact package that is sturdy and that is suitable for incorporationinto a larger structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the present invention is directed to a bar codescanner module, that may include: a chassis housing an opticaltransmission system therein, the optical transmission system including alaser diode and a motor; a first circuit board coupled to the motor; anda second circuit board disposed within the chassis and in communicationwith the first circuit board. The module may further include a thirdcircuit board disposed in proximity to the chassis and in communicationwith at least one of the first circuit board and the second circuitboard.

Other aspects, features, advantages, etc. will become apparent to oneskilled in the art when the description of the preferred embodiments ofthe invention herein is taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purposes of illustrating the various aspects of the invention,there are shown in the drawings forms that are presently preferred, itbeing understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a bar code scanner module in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the bar code scanner module ofFIG. 1A in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2A is a blown up perspective view of the bar code scanner module ofFIG. 1A in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2B is another blown up perspective view of the bar code scannermodule of FIG. 1A in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional and partially elevational view of aportion of a bar code scanner module in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a bar code scanner module in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view of a bar code scanner in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following, a general introduction to module 10 is provided,followed by further description of the embodiments shown in theindividual figures. With reference to FIGS. 1-5, in one or moreembodiments, bar code scanner module 10 may include a chassis 50, afirst circuit board 100, a second circuit board 200, and a third circuitboard 300. In one or more embodiments, a “circuit board” may be aprinted circuit board or other device for enabling interconnection ofcomponents within a sub-assembly of module 10.

In one or more embodiments, bar code scanner module 10 may include anoptical transmission system 102 (FIG. 5), which may be disposed inproximity to circuit board 100 and/or an optical receiving system 302(FIGS. 3-4), which may be disposed in proximity to circuit board 300and/or chassis 50. More detail regarding the optical transmission system102 and the optical receiving system will be provided later in thisdisclosure.

Bar code scanner module 10 may provide various space saving featuresthat enable providing bar code scanning operation in a sturdy packageoccupying minimal space. More specifically, in one or more embodiments,space may be conserved by disposing one or more selected circuits oncircuit board 200 which may be located in the interior of chassis 50,rather than being arranged along an external surface of chassis 50.

Herein, terms of geometric relations such as, bottom, top, side, and soforth, are used for the sake of convenience to describe the geometricrelations of parts to one another as shown in one or more of the FIGS.However, it will be recognized that geometric positions andrelationships between parts may change depending on the orientation ofmodule 10. For example, circuit board 300, while shown at the top ofmodule 10 in FIG. 1A, may form a side or top of module 10 upon suitablyrotating or moving the module 10. Moreover, the relative positioning ofparts with respect to each other may vary in one or more alternativeembodiments of the present invention, and all such variations areintended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a bar code scanner module 10 inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. FIG.1A shows chassis 50 having circuit board 300 on top (in the view of FIG.1A). In one or more embodiments, circuit board 300 may have digital ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 316 and analog ASIC 314connected thereto. Shield 304, which may include light passage opening312, may be connected to circuit board 300. Optical receiving lens 306may be connected to circuit board 300 and/or chassis 50. As with theembodiment shown in FIG. 1A, shield 304 may extend over a substantialportion of one surface of module 10 and rest on a ledge forming part ofchassis 50. In this manner, shield 304 may serve as a structuralcomponent of module 10 that helps hold circuit board 300 in place alongan upper edge of chassis 50.

FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the bar code scanner module 10 ofFIG. 1A in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentinvention. In one or more embodiments, motor 112 may be coupled tocircuit board 100, which may be located at the bottom of module 10. Inone or more embodiments, circuit board 100 may be formed of a flexibleprinted circuit board (FPC) material. In one or more embodiments, anextension of circuit board 100 may be in the form of FPC connector 114,which may connect circuit board 100 to circuit board 200. Laser diodeterminal 116 may be located on an external surface of FPC connector 116to enable provision of suitable external connections for laser diode 104(see FIG. 2). In one or more alternative embodiments, circuit board 100and/or connector 114 may be made of materials other than flexibleprinted circuit board material, and all such variations are intended tobe included within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a blown up perspective view of bar code scanner module 10 inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Toavoid repetition, a selection of parts previously discussed herein willnot be discussed in connection with FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 2A, module10 may include circuit board 300, circuit board 200, chassis 50, andcircuit board 100. Greater detail regarding one or more of theseportions of module 10 is provided in the following.

As shown in FIG. 2A, in one or more embodiments, circuit board 200 mayhave a hole 206 therethrough to accommodate a shaft extending from thecenter of motor 112 and through polygon mirror 110. Hole 206 may allowcircuit board 200 to be located closer to circuit board 100 than wouldotherwise be possible, thereby aiding in reducing the size of module 10.

In one or more embodiments, chassis 50 may include an opening 56 forreceiving laser diode 104. Moreover, chassis 50 may have a focusing lens106 (FIG. 3) integrally formed therein.

In one or more embodiments, circuit board 100 may be made of FPC.Circuit board 100 may lead to FPC connector 114 which may connectcircuit board 100 to circuit board 200. Circuit board 100 may be rigidlyconnected to a stationary side of motor 112 (see FIG. 1B). Motor 112 maybe operable to rotate polygon mirror 110 which is shown extending upwardfrom circuit board 100 in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2B is another blown up perspective view of the bar code scannermodule 10 of FIG. 1A in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. As with FIG. 2A, to avoid repetition, a selection ofthe parts previously discussed herein will not be discussed inconnection with FIG. 2B. In the blown up view of the embodiment of FIG.2B, shield 304 is shown already disposed on chassis 50, with circuit 300shown separately. It will be appreciated that the component parts ofmodule 10 may be assembled in any order, and the present invention isnot limited to assembling optical receiving system 302 to chassis 50first.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional and partially elevational view of aportion of bar code scanner module 10 in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 3, some components ofmodule 10 have been omitted in order to emphasize various features ofone or more embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, thepositioning of one or more components with respect to other componentshas been presented so as to better illustrate various aspects of one ormore embodiments of the present invention. Thus, the invention is notlimited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3. Moreover, to emphasize oneor aspects of the present invention, FIG. 3 is not drawn to scale. FIG.4 is a sectional view of bar code scanner module 10 in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a sectionalplan view of bar code scanner module 10 in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention. Reference is made to FIGS. 3-5 inthe following.

In one or more embodiments, bar code scanner module 10 may includecircuit boards 100, 200, and 300. Optical transmission system 102 may bedisposed on, or in proximity to, circuit board 100. However, in one ormore alternative embodiments, optical transmission system 102 may belocated elsewhere within module 10. In one or more alternativeembodiments, optical transmission system 102 may be located outsidechassis 50.

In one or more embodiments, optical receiving system 302 may be coupledto circuit board 300 and/or chassis 50. However, in one or morealternative embodiments, optical receiving system 302 may be locatedelsewhere within module 10, or be located so as to be in communicationwith module 10. As with optical transmission system 102, in one or morealternative embodiments, optical receiving system 302 may be locatedoutside chassis 50. Moreover, different components of optical receivingsystem 302 may be mounted to different respective surfaces within module10.

In one or more embodiments, motor control circuitry may be disposed oncircuit board 200, which circuit board may be sized so as to fit insidechassis 50. Thus, in one or more embodiments of the present invention,the distribution of components among circuit boards may include, amongother component placements, placing optical transmission system 102 nearthe bottom of chassis 50, in proximity to circuit board 100, opticalreceiving system 302 in proximity to circuit board 300, and motorcontrol circuitry on, or in proximity to, circuit board 200. Moreover,in one or more embodiments, circuit boards 100, 200, and 300 may beparallel to one another. In such embodiments, the placement of motorcontrol circuitry and/or other operational components of module 10 oncircuit board 200 may enable the overall size of module 10 to be reducedby enabling components that would otherwise be located on externalsurfaces of chassis 50 to be mounted on circuit board 200 and insidechassis 50.

While the following discussion is directed to embodiments having theabove-described distribution of components among the circuit boards 100,200, and 300, the present invention is not limited to theabove-described configuration. In one or more alternative embodiments,the optical transmission system 102, optical receiving system 302, motorcontrol circuitry, and/or other components of module 10 may be inlocations other than those described above, within or outside of chassis50, and all such variations are intended to be included within the scopeof the present invention.

The following discussion is directed to various space-saving mechanismsthat may be implemented in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention. As previously stated, the deployment of selected circuits oncircuit board 200 that may otherwise be located on an exterior ofchassis 50 may operate to reduce the size of module 10. Therefore, it isdesirable that one or more embodiments of the present invention enablecircuit board 200 to be located within chassis 50 without disturbingother components located in the interior of chassis 50.

In one or more embodiments, circuit board 200 may include at least onehole 206 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) therethrough to accommodate shaft 118extending from motor 112 and polygon mirror 110. Providing hole 206, asshown in FIG. 3, may enable circuit board 200 to be placed closer tomotor 112 than would otherwise be possible.

In one or more embodiments, at least one ledge 52, which may beintegrally formed as part of chassis 50, may operate to support asurface, preferably the bottom surface, of circuit board 200. Supportfrom ledge 52 may operate to secure circuit board 200 within chassis 50and prevent mechanical interference between circuit board 200 and partslocated proximate thereto in the interior of chassis 50. In one or morealternative embodiments, ledge 52 need not be integrally formed withchassis 50. Instead, ledge 52 could be separately manufactured andassembled to chassis 50 at a suitable stage in the manufacture of module10.

In one or more embodiments, FPC connector 114 may be deployed to providecommunication between circuit board 100 and circuit board 200. The useof flexible circuit board material may enable providing communicationbetween circuit boards 100 and 200 in a manner that that does not takeup space in the interior of chassis 50. Moreover, deploying an efficientconnection between circuit boards 100 and 200 via connector 114 mayenable the functionality of circuit boards 100 and 200 to be provided bytwo relatively small circuit boards (such as circuit boards 100 and 200disclosed herein) that can be convenient located within chassis 50,rather than by a single large circuit board which would likely have tobe located outside chassis 50, thereby undesirably increasing the sizeof module 10. In one or more alternative embodiments, connectors otherthan flexible circuit board connector 114 may be employed to enablecommunication between circuit board 100 and circuit board 200.

In one or more embodiments, a communication link may be provided betweencircuit board 200 and circuit board 300. In one or more embodiments, aboard-to-board connector 208 may be employed having a first connectorportion 208-a which is connected to circuit board 300 and a secondconnector portion 208-b which is connected to circuit board 200.Board-to-board connector 208 may provide a multiple-pin connection.Connector 208 may include a narrower rigid portion 208-a that isinserted into a wider rigid portion 208-b, with each such portion havingmultiple-pin connections. Board to board connector 208 may provide acompact and efficient mechanism for enabling communication betweencircuit boards 200 and 300 without requiring the use of connectorslocated at a rear portion of the boards (the portion of module 10opposite the location of shield 304) and without requiring the use ofwiring or cabling in the interior of chassis 50. However, in one or morealternative embodiments, one or more other types of data communicationconnections may be used to enable communication between circuit boards200 and 300, and all such variations are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present invention.

In one or more embodiments, shield 304 may be coupled to chassis 50and/or to circuit board 300. Shield 304 may at least partially surroundone or more components of optical receiving system 302, such as,receiving lens 306, photodiode 308, and/or photodiode printed circuitboard (PCB) 310. When deployed in this manner, shield 304 may operate toshield one or more components of optical receiving system 302 fromtransient light energy not pertinent to the optical data desired to beread by optical receiving system 302. Moreover, shield 304 may operateto prevent transient bursts of electrical energy, i.e. electrical noise,from reaching one or more components of optical receiving system 302.Shield 304 may be soldered or otherwise securely attached to circuitboard 300 and/or chassis 50 in a manner enabling proper grounding shield304. Shield 304 may be made of a suitably selected metal, or othersuitable conductive material.

In one or more embodiments, shield 304 may include light passage opening312 therein to provide an opening of desired dimensions for thetransmission of light out of module 10 by optical transmission system102.

In one or more embodiments, shield 304 may serve as a structuralcomponent of module 10. Shield 304 may occupy a significant portion ofone external surface of module 10. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, shield 304 mayoccupy at least a portion of the module 10 surface that may be at leastsubstantially perpendicular to the direction of light transmission from,and light reception by, module 10. In such embodiments, shield 304 mayserve to at least partially enclose an interior of chassis 50 along themodule 10 surface it extends across.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, in one or more embodiments, opticaltransmission system 102 may include laser diode 104, focusing lens 106,bend mirror 108, motor 112, and polygon mirror 110. Optical transmissionsystem 102 may enable light path 120 to emerge from laser diode 104,reflect off bend mirror 108, reflect off rotating polygon mirror 110,and exit module 10 through light passage opening 312 in shield 304 togenerate a scan pattern.

In one or more embodiments, laser diode 104 may be configured to bepress fit to chassis 50. In one or more alternative embodiments, laserdiode 104 may be coupled to chassis 50, or to one or more othercomponents of module 10, by other means.

In one or more embodiments, focusing lens 106 may be integrally formedas part of chassis 50. In such embodiments, focusing lens 106 may beconstructed of the same material that the remainder of chassis 50 isconstructed of, which may be a magnesium alloy, other metal, and/orother suitable material. In one or more alternative embodiments,focusing lens 106 may be manufactured as a separate component and bepress fit to chassis 50. Herein, the term “focusing lens” and the term“collimator lens” are used interchangeably.

With respect to FIGS. 3 and 4, in one or more embodiments, opticalreceiving system may include shield 304, receiving lens 306, photodiode308, and photodiode PCB 310. Shield 304 was discussed previously in thisdisclosure, and that discussion is therefore not repeated in thissection. Receiving lens 306 may be a cylindrical lens. However, otherlens configurations may be employed for receiving lens 306. Photodiode308 may be a conventional photodiode as is known in the art. Photodiode308 may be suitably positioned in a fixed location with respect toreceiving lens 306 so as to receive light after passing throughreceiving lens 306. Photodiode PCB 310 may be connected to photodiode308 and receive a signal therefrom. Moreover, photodiode PCB 310 may beconnected to circuit board 300. The connection of photodiode PCB 310 tocircuit board 300 may be implemented using soldering. However, othersuitable attachment mechanisms may be practiced for coupling photodiodePCB 310 to circuit board 100.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A bar code scanner module, comprising: achassis housing an optical transmission system therein, the opticaltransmission system including a laser diode and a motor; a first circuitboard coupled to the motor; and a second circuit board disposed withinthe chassis and in communication with the first circuit board; whereinat least a portion of the first circuit board is made of flexibleprinted circuit (FPC) board.
 2. A bar code scanner module, comprising: achassis housing an optical transmission system therein, the opticaltransmission system including a laser diode and a motor; a first circuitboard coupled to the motor; and a second circuit board disposed withinthe chassis and in communication with the first circuit board; whereinthe second circuit board comprises motor control circuitry.
 3. A barcode scanner module, comprising: a chassis housing an opticaltransmission system therein, the optical transmission system including alaser diode and a motor; a first circuit board coupled to the motor; anda second circuit board disposed within the chassis and in communicationwith the first circuit board; wherein the second circuit board iscoupled to the first circuit board along an flexible printed circuitboard (FPC) connector.
 4. The module of claim 3 wherein the firstcircuit board is a flexible printed circuit board and wherein the FPCconnector is an extension of the first circuit board.
 5. The module ofclaim 3 further comprising a terminal connection, for the laser diode,disposed on the FPC connector.
 6. A bar code scanner module, comprising:a chassis housing an optical transmission system therein, the opticaltransmission system including a laser diode and a motor; a first circuitboard coupled to the motor; and a second circuit board disposed withinthe chassis and in communication with the first circuit board; whereinthe second circuit board includes a hole accommodating a shaft extendingalong an axis of rotation of the motor.
 7. A bar code scanner module,comprising: a chassis housing an optical transmission system therein,the optical transmission system including a laser diode and a motor; afirst circuit board coupled to the motor; and a second circuit boarddisposed within the chassis and in communication with the first circuitboard; a third circuit board disposed in proximity to the chassis and incommunication with at least one of the first circuit board and thesecond circuit board, the third circuit board being connected to thesecond circuit board via a board-to-board connector; an opticalreceiving system disposed within the chassis, comprising: a receivinglens; a photodiode positioned so as to receive light from the receivinglens; and a photodiode PCB (printed circuit board) configured to receivea signal from the photodiode; and a shield operable to protect theoptical receiving system from electrical noise.
 8. The module of claim 7wherein the shield at least partially surrounds the receiving lens andthe photodiode.
 9. The module of claim 7 wherein a portion of the shieldextends across a surface of the chassis that is substantiallyperpendicular to a direction of light transmission from the opticaltransmission system.
 10. The module of claim 9 wherein the portion ofthe shield extending across the surface of the chassis includes anopening for the light transmission.
 11. The module of claim 9 whereinthe shield portion extending across the surface of the chassis isoperable to at least partially enclose an interior of the chassis alongthe substantially perpendicular surface.
 12. A bar code scanner module,comprising: a chassis housing an optical transmission system therein,the optical transmission system including a laser diode and a motor; afirst circuit board coupled to the motor; and a second circuit boarddisposed within the chassis and in communication with the first circuitboard; a third circuit board disposed in proximity to the chassis and incommunication with at least one of the first circuit board and thesecond circuit board, the third circuit board being connected to thesecond circuit board via a board-to-board connector; wherein circuitmounting surfaces of the first, second, and third circuit boards arearranged at least substantially parallel to one another.